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New York tourist road rebukes county proposal for shortened excursion
Who wants to pay to ride just a couple of miles? Mr. Donaldson is right on.
I conducted a charter on the Catskill Mountain a few years ago. We planned a day that included the trolley museum in Kingston and then both operating parts of the Catskill. We would have loved to have done more miles, but at least we got to make a few photo stops and tour some of the projects underway to extend the serviceable part of the line. I’ve let the county know several times that more miles means more tours and more area visitors, but they seem to believe that a trail is where the money is. That, are a few of the county legislature just seem to hate trains.
Don’t think its the money, hiking trails are very popular with thier local constituents. Voters are the bottom line.
See http://www.trailswithrails.org (TRAC) the support group helping local residents of the Adirondack State Park coalesce long-term support for full operation of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad from Utica to Lake Placid, NY with parallel trails, detailed plans on their website.
Sign their petition at https://www.change.org/p/support-trails-with-rails-the-win-win-solution
And get written comments in to NY State DOT by Monday 12/15 next week as follows:
Please submit your comments and support for TRAC and the Adirondack Scenic Railroad no later than December 15, 2014. From the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor website, your comments can be sent by email to nystravelcorridor@dot.ny.gov or sent by USPS mail to NYS Travel Corridor, NYS DOT Freight and Passenger Rail Bureau, 50 Wolf Road, POD 5-4, Albany NY 12232. See their press release at http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/99211.html
A support group similar to TRAC needs to form to support the Catskill Mountain Railroad.
The Catskill Mountain Railroad should be able to plan to be as successful as the Adirondack Scenic Railroad which has a break even budget, a few full-time employees, about 350 volunteers who give 15,000 hours per year in volunteer time, and about 70,000 riders per year on mostly sold out trains on half the total mileage of the 118-mile route, with significant ridership increase forecast with full operation of the Utica-Lake Placid route.
Robinson Foster, Director, RAIL Solution, see us at www.railsolution.org
For unknown reasons, the state of New York doesn’t care about rehabilitating/restoring the Catskill Mountain Railway. All they care about is tourism, celebrities, politics, money, and all other useless crap. All those politicians in NY are either self-centered, or don’t care about doing something that has been forgotten for over a century.
Also, look at the success of the Western Maryland Scenic RR. It has a trail next to must of the railroad. A popular option is to take the train uphill and bike back downhill. This could work here as well.
Once I was working with a group of enthusiasts along a short siding with one passenger car, an 0-4-0 saddle tank steam switcher (steam locomotive with no tender but water storage wrapped around the boiler). One day a very young patron asked why we only went back an forth on the siding and in my smart alecky way answered with “because we can’t go side to side”. But the little girl got it right…it was too short a ride, meant nothing unless you knew and liked steam locomotives. Kingston and the Country are in such a unique position for a real tourist attraction with a huge variety of scenery, a wide assortment of rail and transit equipment, perfect Hudson Riverside and beautiful Catskill Mountain vistas, plenty of parking and restaurants, shops, and attractions; a real opportunity to provide a great tourist experience, and an even greater opportunity to make money not just for public coffers but for other businesses to boot. To turn this away surely questions the intelligence and understanding of the political positions in the area in how to help the communities make money with little public investment. If a person wants to ride bike or walk a path, they have the Highline. If they want a different venue, different opportunities to do something different, opportunities to experience the mountain air or refreshing and quiet riverside escapes, Kingston, NY could be that place to do it., and all will be richer for it. Certainly hope the tourist railroads can win over the minds and hearts of the community. The first Senate House of New York is there, its a rich and beautiful city, but it lacks industry today, needs a tax base, and the opportunity lies in the tracks in the ground to take them there.
Don’t question big government seems to be the attitude of the county. If you have followed the efforts of the Catskill Mountain Railroad you will see they have done great things (Facebook is an easy way). The Thomas and Polar Express offerings (i.e. dollars) are something a redundant trail could never generate for the area! Yet, here we have a bureaucrat deeming two miles of operation is the solution. Talk about clueless.
If I am not mistaken the area is already abundant in trails.
When I choose to visit a tourist railroad, I consider many things. Price, length of trip, and mileage. I’m not interested in a 2 mile ride, especially when I’m looking for mileage to add to my logbook.
I live about 50 miles from Kingston, N.Y. and it is a nice city…CSX Railraod has a large yard there and many on line customers…Getting back to the Catskill Railroad the railroad has been trying for many years to extend their track more miles but the County has been fighting them for a long, long time. Yes this is a must for them and i hope someday it will be done…good luck to you
Here’s the link to the online petition to save the Catskill Mountain RR. http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/ulster-county-executive?source=s.fwd&r_by=11993244
Some needs to count how many people use the trail that runs along 209 the old O&W rite of way before they make any more trails
Two miles is ridiculous! People want a real train ride not something of this nature. Give the Catskill Mountain Railroad a chance to grow and survive!
“You should be happy with the crumbs we give you, you ungrateful clods”
Paraphrasing Ken Ronk.
I agree with the railroad, not the politician.
News Wire misquoted the CMRR website, see http://catskillmtrailroad.com/about.php
CMRR produces an excellent annual progress report detailing by milepost with great maps, photos, and discussion its successes, opportunities and challenges.
The greatest of all challenges must be resolved by May 31st, 2016 when its lease expires.
Let’s all do what we can to make the CMRR a 38-mile, Kingston-Highmount, dream come true!
Montour Trail shares right-of-way.
MR Ronks is a idiot politician.